The Stars Around Us

Chapter 28 ×ETHAN×

I flopped back on my bed and thought about my amazing day with Emmorie. Mom had gotten called in from work while Aunt Dianne and Audrey were in town, shopping.

       I thought about her, daring enough to run into the lake in her underwear. I had tried not to stare at her body, but the truth is, my male instincts told me to enjoy the view, but I denied myself of that. I wanted her to actually like me and not think I was just trying to smash, when in truth, I just wanted to be close to her. 

        I smiled at the memory of her laugh. If I could, I would play that on repeat all day, along with her melodic, soothing voice and her smile and her eyes and her lips, the arch of her brow, the curve of her jaw and sharp cheekbones. I wanted all of her burned inside my memory. Her flaws and perfections and the way she made me feel when we touched; like electricity and pleasure rolling through my blood. 

       God, I was in way too deep already. There's no way I should be falling this hard in only a matter of days. I went downstairs and fiddled with random things in the kitchen and finally sat at the table. I checked the time and knew Mom would still be on her way over to work. I called her and she answered on the car's screen. 

       "Yes, dear," she answered. I hesitated. "Um… Mom? Can I ask you a question?" She paused for just a beat before replying with sure. I took a deep breath, still unsure if I should ask the question or if I was just afraid of the answer. I sucked it up and stopped being a pussy, hurrying to throw it out there before I lost the nerve. "How long did it take for you to fall in love with Dad?"

        It was silent while I waited for her response. She finally answered after the deafening silence. "I fell for him after a week, but I didn't admit it until after a month." Then, I could hear the smile in her voice. "Is this about Emmorie?" I slid my tongue along the ring in my lip, tasting the cold metal. "No," I lied. "I just wanted to know." I could picture her stern facial expression that she gave me whenever I lied when she said "Ethan Grey." I squeezed my eyes closed, knowing that I was screwed now. 

        My next words were a blur and they were said so quickly that I wasn't even certain if I actually said them or not, though it sounded a lot like "Okay Mom, I'll see you when you get home,have a good day at work. Love you bye! I hung up and slid my phone back into my pocket.

        So Mom fell in love after a week? Then it was definitely possible for me to do the same. But was it love? Or was it just my first actual crush or something? I looked over to her window. Her blinds were open and she was just spread out on her bed, staring at the ceiling. I smiled to myself.